Fire at Kraków's Rydygier hospital prompts evacuation of 38 patients and leaves 10 hospitalised

Fire outbreak on the tenth floor

A fire broke out shortly before 01:00 on 6 October 2026 at the Ludwik Rydygier Specialist Hospital, located on the Złotej Jesieni housing estate in Kraków's Nowa Huta district. The blaze started in a patient room on the tenth floor of the facility, which houses the internal medicine ward. At the time of the incident, exactly 38 patients were staying in the affected ward. On-duty nursing personnel were the first to detect the heavy smoke and immediately began emergency procedures to protect bedridden individuals. Acting under difficult conditions in the smoke-filled ward, the nurses wheeled approximately 10 hospital beds out of the patient rooms and into the main corridor before the emergency services arrived.

Firefighters deploy to the ward

The alarm was formally raised by the nursing staff, prompting an emergency response across the district. A total of 14 fire service crews arrived at the hospital complex alongside medical rescue teams and police officers. Upon reaching the tenth floor, firefighters took over the evacuation operations from the nursing staff and initiated fire suppression efforts inside the burning room. State Fire Service officials noted that the prompt response by hospital employees prevented the situation from escalating during the initial minutes. Captain Hubert Ciepły, the spokesperson for the Małopolska Regional Commander of the State Fire Service, described the coordination between medical personnel and incoming fire crews.

The nurses took the first actions, beginning the evacuation of patients in heavy smoke conditions. About 10 beds were wheeled out into the corridor. Firefighters evacuated the remaining patients.

All 38 patients registered on the internal medicine ward were safely transferred away from the tenth floor and accommodated in other wards across the hospital.

Medical treatment and containment

Ten people suffered health effects as a direct result of inhaling toxic combustion gases during the fire and subsequent evacuation. The affected group included both hospital staff members and patients who were present on the tenth floor when the smoke spread through the ward. Emergency responders transported all ten individuals to the hospital emergency department (SOR) for medical evaluation and treatment for suspected smoke poisoning. Firefighters brought the blaze under control and fully extinguished the flames at 01:22. Fire brigade commanders confirmed that the flames remained confined to the single room on the tenth floor and posed no danger to any of the other hospital departments.

Aftermath and ongoing investigation

Following the suppression of the fire, fire service crews stayed on the site throughout the night and early morning to conduct extensive ventilation across the smoke-logged tenth floor. Firefighters remained stationed on the floor to verify that all toxic fumes had dissipated and to monitor the area for any lingering hazards. Normal medical operations continued in the rest of the Ludwik Rydygier Specialist Hospital without disruption. The specific cause of the fire on the internal medicine ward remains unknown. Police officers and fire investigators have opened inquiries to determine what ignited the fire inside the patient room.